1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and a computer product for a digital multifunction product that serves a copy function, a facsimile function, and a print function.
2) Description of the Related Art
Digital multifunction products are readily available nowadays. Digital multifunction products are some times called as digital multifunction peripherals. The digital multifunction product (MFP) is a device that serves a copy function, a facsimile (FAX) function, a print function, and a scanner function. With such a digital MFP, handwritten documents and paper materials can be electronized and thereby shared and made effective use of, through a network. In other words, this kind of digital MFP is placed as one of terminals on the network.
An input image (a document image read by the scanner function and an image input by the print function or the FAX function) is transmitted from the digital MFP to a personal computer. The input image is then sometimes distributed from the personal computer to other personal computers connected thereto through the network. In other words, if any function of controlling a process in a category different from an image processing function is to be added to the digital MFP in order to make effective use of various functions provided therein, the function of controlling the process is often added not to the digital MFP but to an external computer so that an optional function is realized in the external computer.
However, the realization of the optional function is often based on the premise that a personal computer is present on the network, but the presence of such a personal computer is not always ensured.
Japanese Patent Application Laid Open (JP-A) No. 2001-312389 discloses an image processing apparatus that includes a World Wide Web (Web) server. The Web server performs process control in a category different from a basic process in the image processing apparatus.
The whole of the image processing apparatus disclosed in JP-A No. 2001-312389 is unified into one control. Therefore, if the image processing apparatus such as the Web server performs process control in a category different from the basic process in the image processing apparatus, a control program needs to be developed so as to operate in cooperation with the image processing function. Design of such a control program as explained above is generally complicated, and therefore, the development requires enormous costs and time.
A general-purpose operating system (OS) is not used but a dedicated OS is often used for whole process control of the image processing apparatus. Therefore, the control program developed with much trouble results in a lack of flexibility. In other words, even if a general-purpose application program having the same function as a function in a category different from the image processing function of the image processing apparatus is used, a development cost cannot be reduced.